In Denmark, Kim Fielding dreams of a better Fall River

Despite being surrounded by the majestic monuments and museums of Denmark, Kim Fielding still has Fall River on her mind.

Fielding, a student at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, received funding to study social capital and urban livability with the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen.

Her goal is to determine the role of bridging social capital in urban redevelopment in post-industrial cities, and she plans to start in Fall River.

"Growing up in our mill city, I've witnessed how the shift from an industrial manufacturing economy to a more knowledge-based economy has affected both individual lives and the city as a whole," Fielding said.

A non-traditional student in her late 40s, Fielding will graduate in May 2013 from Mount Holyoke with a bachelor's degree in politics with a minor in sociology.

Fielding also traveled to Istanbul — where she examined the political and religious structures of Turkey — and studied urban planning when she visited Sweden.

After moving to Fall River in the mid 1970s, a teenage Fielding attended various city political functions, and listened to the concerns of the people and the proposed solutions.

"I've traversed the streets a million times, rode public transportation and tried to navigate my life successfully using only available public goods," Fielding said. "I noticed every time, I ran into a barrier, be it structural or policy."

Her interests led her to become an activist and a neighborhood organizer. She started a Kennedy Park neighborhood group in 1993 and most recently was the program coordinator of Fall River's National Night Out, a United Neighbors of Fall River event that takes a stand against violence.

"I know what it's like to be the kid growing up in the tenements looking for those manufacturing or low-skilled labor jobs," she said. "Cities like Fall River were originally planned to separate the working class from the upper strata. You can see this in the pattern of mill buildings surrounded by tenement housing to house the working class.

"With the emerging knowledge-based economy, it no longer makes sense to have a separate working class that has less access to quality education and opportunities. My aim is to create livable, sustainable urban environments through physical form and spatial redevelopment."

Fielding began her college career at Bristol Community College in Fall River, where she earned an associate's degree in Communication in 2010.

"Community colleges offer a wealth of both credit and non-credit programs that support individual goals as well as regional economic growth initiatives," Fielding said. "Bristol Community College is a shining example of this."

During her time at BCC, Fielding wore many hats. She was a regional officer for the Phi Theta Kappa society, a Commonwealth Honors scholar and a member of the Strategic Planning Committee.

Fielding's sons — Brad and Alex — are actively serving in the U.S. Army in Texas and California respectively. Inspired by their dedication to the country, Fielding created the Soldiers in Our Hearts campaign in 2006.

Soldiers in Our Hearts is designed to support and connect loved ones of military personnel. Fielding created a universal symbol to represent the organization and obtained a copyright from the United States Library of Congress.

When she's not hitting the books, Fielding said she experiences all that studying abroad has to offer, including sightseeing. She has visited the Hippodrome in Turkey, the Museum of World Culture in Sweden, Christiansborg Palace in Denmark and York Castle in the United Kingdom.

"I've taken canal tours, had a massage at a Turkish bathhouse, explored old neighborhoods and museums and visited the Spice Bazaar [in Istanbul]," Fielding said.

With her sights set on either Tufts University or Harvard Kennedy School to complete her master's degree in public administration or policy and planning, the sky's the limit for Fielding.

"Certainly people in my age group are able to achieve their education and career goals," Fielding said. "I think the combination of life and professional experience, along with a cutting-edge education, makes us a unique asset that is hard to find."

Fielding said she would never forget what Fall River has done to shape the way she works and studies.

"I always have and always will come back to Fall River," she said.

Fielding said she wants to create a workshop to help BCC students learn more about the benefits of studying abroad and how to apply for funding.

Fielding said she believes it is important to pass on what she's learned from her journey.

"Nearly every one of us who is from the tenement neighborhoods and has gone on to do great things has encountered someone who noticed our potential and connected us with an opportunity to better ourselves," Fielding said. "It is certainly my story."